Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 2002
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is one of the
most compassionate and successful civil rights laws in American
history. In the 12 years since President George H. W. Bush signed the
ADA into law, more people with disabilities are participating fully in
our society than ever before. As we mark this important anniversary,
we celebrate the positive effect this landmark legislation has had upon
our Nation, and we recognize the important influence it has had in
improving employment opportunities, government services, public
accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications for those with
disabilities.

Today, Americans with disabilities enjoy greatly improved access to
countless facets of life; but more work needs to be done. We must
continue to build on the important foundations established by the ADA.
Too many Americans with disabilities remain isolated, dependent, and
deprived of the tools they need to enjoy all that our Nation has to
offer.

My Administration is committed to removing the barriers that
prevent people with disabilities from realizing their full potential
and achieving their dreams. The New Freedom Initiative, which I
announced last year, builds on the hopeful path of the ADA. It
provides Americans with disabilities increased access to assistive
technologies, expands educational options, and increases opportunities
for them to integrate into our workforce. We are committed to ensuring
the delivery of vital services to disabled persons in an integrated,
community-based setting.

My Administration will continue to enforce the Americans with
Disabilities Act, and we will work with businesses and State and local
governments to increase partnerships that promote the purposes of the
ADA. Together, we are working for a day when all people with
disabilities are able to live and work with dignity, freedom, and
independence and realize their potential as fully integrated members of
our society.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 26, 2002, as a
day in celebration of the 12th Anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. I call upon public officials, business leaders,
people with
disabilities, and all Americans to pursue the ADA's full promise
of equal opportunity and to celebrate the expanded freedom that the ADA
has brought to American life.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth
day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-seventh.